Saints co-captain Harrison: It's awesome to be back!

The Saints squad emerged from self-isolation on Monday morning as they trotted back to the Gardens for some socially-distanced training.

It was the first step towards a return to playing, with the black, green and gold having been out of action since the win at Worcester on March 6 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

And with a Premiership comeback currently pencilled in for the weekend of August 15, the players have something to work towards.

Harrison was all smiles as he was pictured walking back into the Gardens on Monday.

And the Saints co-captain said: "It's nice to be back with the boys after three months away.

"The body is definitely feeling it but it's nice to get some training into the body and start getting it back to where it was.

"It's awesome to be back in, even with the social distancing and stuff.

"It feels like pre-season again so I'm not looking forward to that aspect of it, but it's nice to be back.

"When you're in isolation you don't have the facilities of the gym so you're only lifting minimal weights.

"It's great to get a proper lift in and then stretch out on the field."

On the challenges of self-isolation, he added: "You see your team-mates more than you see your family most weeks so just being without them was weird.

"Not being in a routine is the biggest killer because you wake up and you've got nothing planned.

"So it's nice to be back in that scheduled routine.

"We're back in the process now rather than sitting around waiting for something to be announced.

"As much as it sucks that nothing (in terms of exact fixture dates) has been officially announced yet, it's nice to be back in a rhythm and getting the body sorted for when we do get the call."